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The International Association of Fire Fighters, the parent union of most big-city fire unions, also criticized the ads.
President Harold Schaitberger accused the Bush campaign in a letter of "trading on the heroism of those 343 brothers of mine who were FDNY members who fell in the terrorist attack."
Bush supporters have defended the ads, arguing that the events of Sept. 11 defined his presidency and was evidence of his leadership in a time of crisis.
City police and firefighter unions have been meeting secretly for months to plan a protest during the Republican convention, sources have told Newsday.
The unions and Schaitberger have accused Bush and other elected officials of praising the heroism of rescue workers but not providing the funding to increase training and resources for a future terrorist attack or other emergency.
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